he said aloud. “How could you know me?” His gaze took on a significant slant. “But we’re going to have to remedy that situation right away.”
She blinked up at him and took another deep breath. It was okay. Even the voice hadn’t tipped him off. She just might get away with this after all. Looking past him, she began to edge away.
“No thanks,” she said crisply. “I’m afraid I’m busy.”
He shifted his weight just enough to block her escape route. Glancing back into the dance club, he didn’t catch sight of Pauly, but he knew the detective had to be out there somewhere. It was very likely Pauly would be fooled by the wig, but he didn’t want to take chances. Much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to stick with her for a while. And that meant he was going to have to take her out on the dance floor. Not his favorite thing to do, but he didn’t have much choice. He looked back down at her with a shadowed gaze.
“Let’s put it this way. Would you like to dance?”
She gazed up at him blankly. “Dance?” she echoed. Dance with the cowboy who’d treated her with sarcasm and scorn just hours before? He had to be joking.
He shrugged and gestured toward the large open room behind him. “Isn’t that what you came for?”
She had to admit, he had her there. “I can’t,” she said, unable to come up with a good excuse on the spur of the moment, though what she wanted most of all was to find a way to lose this man and not see him again tonight. “I mean, I really shouldn’t….”
Mitch’s habit was to cut to the chase. “Do you have a date waiting for you?” he asked, not sure at that point what her answer would be. For all he knew, this entire escapade was set up for her to meet someone. For all he knew, she’d done it before.
She hesitated, biting her lip. “What if I do?” she asked.
He shrugged and let a warm, comical look fill his eyes. “Then point him out and I’ll ask his permission.”
Despite everything, she had to laugh. “My, aren’t you old-fashioned.”
It was his turn to drawl. “It’s just the old cowboy code.” He tipped his hat with his forefinger to the brim. “We all have our standards.”
“Right. Like honor among thieves.”
He gave her a pained look. “Such cynicism from such a pretty lady. And all I did was ask her to dance.”
She was losing ground and she knew it. It didn’t look as if she were going to be able to get away without a turn around the dance floor. The thought of it made her heart beat a little faster. It would be dangerous to be so close for so long. Suppose he noticed something? Suppose the truth finally dawned on him? But at the same time, to keep turning him down would be odd in itself. After all, he was right. She’d come to dance. Why not with him? She was going to have to bite the bullet.
“Well, all right,” she said grudgingly, remembering to give her voice a country twang. “Just one dance.”
He turned and gestured with a flourish for her to precede him. As they entered the larger room, he managed to look casual as he quickly surveyed the landscape. He caught a glimpse of Pauly heading for the back of the building where a space had been set aside for pool tables and video games and he breathed a sigh of relief. Pauly was going to check out the area and then maybe he would give up and leave.
Well, that did change things. Maybe he could get out of this dancing stuff after all. He’d never been much for dancing, and now that he was facing the music, he began to search about for an excuse to avoid it.
“You know, it’s kind of hot in here,” he began as a new idea occurred to him. Maybe he could get her to go out and walk in the courtyard with him instead of dancing. “I thought maybe…”
But he was too late. Now that they were out in the main room, the lively music was infecting her with the mood of the moment.
“The music is starting,” she said, lifting her chin. “Let’s go.” She hooked her arm through his and smiled at him, anticipation dancing in her green eyes.
He was stuck. Looking around at the dancers, he began to realize there was no way he was going to get away with slow-dancing here. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I know this dance.”
“Oh, it’s just line dancing.” She tugged on his arm. “Anybody can do it. Here. I’ll show you.”
The next thing he knew, he was two-stepping across the floor, his thumbs hooked into his wide belt, and she was laughing up into his face. It felt awkward at first. He wasn’t much of a dancer. But she was right—it was easy. And she looked good in her flouncy skirt, whirling in front of him. In a few moments, he was having almost as much fun as she seemed to be having.
The tempo changed and she slid into his arms as naturally as though they were old friends.
“‘Cowboys Never Fall in Love,’” she murmured, naming the song that was playing. “Do you believe that?”
He grinned. “I live it,” he said lightly.
She laughed, but at that moment he saw Pauly come back into the room and he pulled Hailey closer to him. She swayed with him, her head nestling into the hollow of his shoulder, while he maneuvered her around so that she was always with her back to the detective. But Pauly kept moving, and it was hard to keep up.
“What are you so nervous about?” Hailey asked suddenly, pulling her head back so she could look into his face.
“Me? I’m not nervous.” He gave her a smile that was all innocence.
“You keep looking over your shoulder.” She frowned, peering past him. “Have you got somebody following you?”
If he’d been a little less experienced, he might have blushed. Her guess was just too close to the mark for comfort.
“Why do you say that?” he asked instead.
She searched his gaze, then shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I thought maybe your ex-wife was having you tailed or something.”
He gazed at her quizzically. “What gives you the idea that I have an ex-wife?”
Her green eyes clouded. Did he really need an explanation? He was a man. He must know what men were like.
“A lot of men like you have ex-wives lurking in the shadows,” she said, trying for a flippant tone, “or hiding in a closet somewhere, ready to leap out and yell boo when you least expect it.”
“I see.” He frowned, not liking the sound of that. What had happened to this woman? It was pretty obvious there was pain behind those beautiful eyes. Funny. It was hard to picture anyone this attractive with a broken heart. But broken hearts did come in all shapes and sizes.
“You sound like someone who’s had a bit of experience with this leaping and yelling stuff,” he said softly. It was not part of his nature to inquire into things like this, but he wanted to find out more about her, what made her tick—at least that was what he told himself.
She managed a small smile. “The leaping and yelling may be a bit of an exaggeration,” she admitted. No, there hadn’t been much leaping and yelling, but there had been enough lying and hiding of true feelings to last her a lifetime. Why was it that men seemed to think beautiful women were trophies, that they didn’t have any value other than as prizes to be won and bragged about? She’d had her share of heartache over that sort of thing when she was very young and it had taught her life’s lessons early. You couldn’t believe what a man said, especially when he said he loved you. The word love was a tool he used to get what he wanted. The word no was a tool she used to make sure he didn’t reach his goal.
“Anyway, I don’t worry about things like that any longer,” she said airily. “I leave that to others.”
“But not you.”
“No,